I was quite surprised to see the magnitude of fork deflection on landing at 1:18 in this video. Kinda explains how crown-steerer interface, headset cups and various other things start creaking after a while...
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I've spotted this before in videos. My 36s with their tapered steerer suddenly don't actually look that stiff.
I found this video interesting too:
Ha, that is good!
I liked this one, look at the back end distort...
Oh aye, that's a classic. I think you can even see the wheel elastically 'buckle'. Quite often see back ends of DH bikes vibrating and twisting when drifting in slo-mo. I was quite surprised with the forks though. Are they 36's or 34's?
Anyone still think tapered or 1.5" steerers are unnecessary now? 😉 In that first clip the flex is hardly at all from the stanchions bending, it's the crown itself distorting under load.
The video of Danny M; Steve P and Hans R riding down into Torridon shows how twangy the rear end of an Orange Five is - there is a scene where it slow-mos whilst Danny slides it over a corner, the rear wheel is bending quite noticeable, from the wheel and stays twisting. You don't notice it until something is slowed down though.
Have had one of those time-slowed-down moments in real life down a welsh descent once, piled into a rocky section a bit too fast with two big (1 microwave, 1 washing machine sized) rocks making a V shape but about 15-20 degrees to my direction of travel, front wheel dropped into the V and for a split second as my fork bottomed out I was acutely aware that my bars and wheel were definitely not pointing in he same direction, momentum took me through and the whole front end of the bike twanged back straight, very lucky to ride that one out and was sure something was going to give up and snap!
We have to put some of our projects at work through shock testing - to qualify them for Military use (refrigeration plants)
The slow-motion video play back showing a heavy steel frame bending and deflecting at the moment the shock wave hits is incredible.
I can only imagine how much bikes bend when forces are put through them.
If you shift your body weight onto your bars next time you're stationary on your bike, then shift your body weight from one side to the other pulling up with the other hand it's amazing how much your bars and stem twist. Especially if you're a big guy with rigid forks and wide bars, you can demonstrate some serious stem twisting.
Especially if it's a Syntace F99 weight weenie job 🙂
I think it depends on a number of factors:
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Really? That still a thing?
This is one of my favorite wobbly-deflection videos (at 0:37)
Anyone still think tapered or 1.5" steerers are unnecessary now?
Yeah.. but I'm nowhere near as gnar as Neil Donawhatsit, nor will I ever be... 😉
Besides I actually seem to like a bit of 'twang' in my components. The Orange Five rear end flexing thing is something I've been aware of on mine while riding it. And it actually adds something to the ride.
My Fox F-series 120s - also flex and 'twang' a bit, which seems to add a lively springyness to the ride that works on a short travel XC bike.
Can't say say it's helping Gee much though.
I always thought there should be more aero in DH
This explains something that happened to me today. Descending a twisty 30km descent (Mt Buffalo in Australia if anyone cares) at around 40mph on a steel-framed, steel-forked road bike with discs and QR. Braking hard going into some of the bends and I got the distinct impression that my bars and front wheel were out of alignment (ie bars going left, wheel going right). Of course, on the straights no problem. Was slightly disconcerting but I think distortion has explained it. It does make me think beefier road forks and through-bolts might be the go for disc road bikes.
Was it not just so hot the fork was melting? That was my concern in Bright on Saturday.
I could feel my legs moving sideways into the bike when cornering my orange patriot hard.
Still a great bike, but it was a bit disconcerting.
eem to like a bit of 'twang' in my components. The Orange Five rear end flexing thing is something I've been aware of on mine while riding it. And it actually adds something to the ride.
This.
Motorcycles worshipped at the altar of all out stiffness a few years ago until riders realised it was counter productive in lots of situations.
By all means build a stiff front end so the leading wheel tracks straight and true....but some flex engineered into the frame and/or swingarm can be beneficial in taking sting out of the trail when the bike is leant over....obviously forks and shocks work less efficiently once away from the vertical, a good engineer understands this and allows for some assistance from the chassis when the bike is leaning.
Anyone still think tapered or 1.5" steerers are unnecessary now?
I thought they were to add back the stiffness and ultimate strength that shortening the headtube removed, which was necessary for bigger wheels?
that gee aterton clip is probably my fave bike clip of all time. such a rad move and you can see why everyone else binned it on that feature that year.
building a light stiff frame with lots of pivots and generally being long and slender is almost impossible. if you press on a bb or laterally load a crank you can usually see the bike frame/wheels flexing.